News Sources & Books To Read...
- Zan Times – A women-led investigative newsroom that covers human rights violations in Afghanistan with a focus on women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and environmental issues. Reported by mainly women journalists working both inside and outside of Afghanistan.
- Rukshana Media – An online news agency focused on covering issues that affect women in Afghanistan, reported exclusively by a team of women journalists.
- Afghanistan Analyst Network – AAN’s extensive research and coverage ranges from in-depth investigations into the economy, public finance and the aid industry to a poetic journey into the world of falconry. Search for ‘the daily hustle’ to read first-person accounts by Afghans of what they are doing to survive in Afghanistan today.
- Afghanistan: History From 1260 To The Present by Jonathan L Lee – A monumental, authoritative new history of Afghanistan that places the current conflict in its historical context and challenges many of the West’s preconceived ideas about the country.
- Favored Daughter: One Woman’s Fight To Lead Afghanistan Into The Future by Fawzia Koofi and Nadene Ghouri – Both a memoir and rallying cry from Koofi, who rose from a childhood of abuse and deprivation in a notoriously sexist society to become Afghanistan’s first female Speaker of Parliament and one of a few women involved in the intra-Afghan peace talks.
Organisations To Support...
- Dosti Network – The Dosti Network, founded by activist Summia Tora, serves both those looking to resettle and those staying in Afghanistan by helping families and individuals navigate immigration, education and aid.
- Online Schools – Despite Taliban restrictions, there are many organisations providing online classes for girls both within Afghanistan, and those who have fled the country, including Learn (read more about their work here) and Herat Online School.
- Women For Afghan Women – US-based organisation that focuses on the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people living under the Taliban and meeting the needs of Afghan families resettling in the US.
- Aseel – Helps people directly donate emergency aid and packages to specific communities in Afghanistan, including those forcibly returning from Pakistan and those affected by the recent earthquake.
- Razia’s Ray of Hope – Provides free primary school education for girls along with uniforms, shoes, warm coats and healthy meals.
- The Khaled Hosseini Foundation – Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, the foundation has been addressing acute national needs, such as healthcare for women and children and the severe food shortage and mass starvation that Afghanistan is facing.
- UNHCR – The UN Refugee Agency supports people displaced inside Afghanistan and Afghan refugees forced to flee across borders in the region.
- Untold Narratives – Untold Narratives is a development programme that works with writers marginalised by community or conflict. It facilitates an online community of Afghan women writers – in Afghanistan and the diaspora – called the Paranda Network. You can learn more about Untold Narratives or donate here.
